Ohio State defensive back Devin Sanchez has some very lofty goals for his second year in the program.
It is officially Devin Sanchez time at Ohio State. The second year Buckeye is one of the most highly touted players in the Buckeyes program and holds a ton of potential in his hands.
He stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in just south of 200 lbs. When he is on the field, he looks very similar to Davison Igbinosun, who has a very long and lanky build supplemented by decent quickness and really good straight-line speed.
Sanchez will be the next up in what has become a very long line of elite defensive backs and specifically cornerbacks.
He has had a full year under his belt in Columbus, and now, as clips and plays surface from inside Ohio State's practices, he is hanging tight with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, which not many people can do.
This week, after a Spring Ball session, Sanchez was asked what his goals are for himself and for the team, and he listed off some very lofty standards.
On Sanchez's goal board are winning the Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country, earning All-American status, and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year.
Always shoot for the stars, but for Sanchez, these goals are not that far out of the question. He absolutely has the ability and the potential within him to be that guy next year. He has gotten the opportunity to sharpen his craft by going against the best wide receivers in the country day in and day out for the past year, and now the stage will be his to capture.
Sanchez's responsibility on next year's Ohio State team is a very big one. On a defense that is losing many significant players, including a couple of the defensive backs, they need someone to step up in that room to take over.
Unlike last season, when the Buckeyes were really only tested in four games, the Buckeyes will have their work cut out for them in the regular season. Games against Texas, Illinois, Oregon, Iowa, USC, and Michigan will all require a lockdown corner.
It will be on Sanchez to be that guy for the Buckeyes. If he can be that guy, he is going to allow Matt Patricia and the Buckeyes defense to catapult themselves into the elite category in 2026.
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